RESTAURANT REVIEW:

An old business acquaintance who loves Mexican food and I were going to catch up over lunch.

He is not that adventurous in the culinary realm, however, so I took him to a place that was a little more mild.

Don Ramon’s is ideal. It is family-owned and operated, and has been specializing in traditional-style Mexican food for years. The usual suspects are on the menu: enchiladas, tacos, taquitos and chile rellenos, but there are enough twists offered to keep me interested.

While he could nosh on a combination plate of the above items, I could venture into dishes like spinach-filled enchiladas, or a quesadilla with pork, green chile and cheese that is then deep fried.

Our idea of Mexican food is different and that was evident when we were trying to decide on an appetizer. He was looking at potato skins or hot wings. I’m pretty sure those are more indigenous to Wisconsin or Western New York than Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta. I fancied the Mexican pizza or stuffed jalapenos with cream cheese. He wasn’t being swayed so we were fortunate to be able to combine those in the Baja sampler that has potato skins, hot wings, stuffed jalapenos and taquitos.

We both agreed on the bean dip that came with the chips and salsa. The dip is refried beans, melted cheese and bits of chorizo with red sauce and is a great accompaniment with the chips. We ignored the salsa and dove into the bean sauce, finishing the small bowl it comes in.

When it came time to order the entrée, he predictably selected the No. 1 combination, a cheese enchilada and a chicken taco.

The waiter pointed out one of the lunch specials was the same thing and would save him $2. The restaurant has eight lunch specials, including marinated chicken tenders that are grilled and served with whole beans. The Don Ramon salad is also available. It is the restaurant’s version of a taco salad and comes with the same marinated grilled chicken tenders and mixed greens.

The restaurant even has vegetarian items on its lunch specials. There is a veggie quesadilla that has Monterey jack cheese, broccoli, carrots and zucchini. A vegetarian burrito stuffed with lettuce, guacamole, tomato, beans and cheese, is also available.

My friend went with the lunch combo, but then threw me a bit. He asked what a flauta was. Like a chimichanga, the waiter explained, but that only confused him more, since his idea of exotic is a meximelt at Taco Bell. The waiter then told him it was like a mini-deep fried burrito.

That he could understand and he added it to his meal. He was happy with all three of his selections, especially the flauta. I felt like we were slowly expanding his culinary horizons.

I was overjoyed with my enchiladas de espinaca. The spinach was stuffed in the enchilada, which also had white cream and avocado slices on top.

My other choice would have been the carne asada tacos, which are also filled with onion, tomato and cilantro. I made a pledge to myself to try the carnitas next time I go. The seasoned pork is served in the traditional Mexican way with beans, cilantro, onion, tomato guacamole and limes.

The seafood is another area I want to dive into on a future visit. The al mojo de ajo is shrimp sautéed and prepared in a garlic butter sauce, very similar to scampi. There is also a filet of red snapper sautéed in olive oil and smothered with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, capers, green olives cilantro and garlic.

This meal ended with one of my favorite desserts, deep-fried ice cream. I tried to get my friend to try it, but he would have none of it.

He was in the mood for ice cream though and fittingly he ordered vanilla.

DON RAMON’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Address: 16961 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 847-4767

Cuisine: Mexican

Alcohol served: Full bar

Dress: casual

Family friendly: yes, three children’s menu items

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, and MasterCard

Rating: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.